Dominant players ready to hit the pool

A look at the 2013 season's best goalies, attackers and drivers

Excelling in water polo requires strength, stamina, physicality and teamwork. These players get the job done, racking up saves, ejections, goals and tallies in the win column for their teams. Hailing from the east coast, west coast and across the sea, here are the players to watch for 2013.

Debuting in her first collegiate season at Stanford, Maggie Steffens has already built a reputation in the international water polo world. Steffens was named FINA's Best Female Water Polo Player in 2012 and earned Olympic MVP honors. She led all players with 21 goals as the U.S. captured Gold at the 2012 London Games after matching the Olympic record with seven goals in the tournament-opening win against Hungary.

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Flora Bolonyai, a second-team All-American and 2012 Hungarian Olympian, averaged 10 saves per game for USC during the NCAA tournament last season. Bolonyai finished with 209 saves (8.6 saves per game) and allowed 127 goals (5.2 goals-against per game).

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As a freshman in 2012, driver Kiley Neushul was the Peter J. Cutino Award winner as the nation's top collegiate women's water polo player and earned first-team All-America honors. Neushul led the team with 58 goals last season and was fourth in the MPSF with 2.07 goals per game. She recorded 11 hat tricks (posting two in her first two collegiate games) and 17 multi-goal performances.

NCAA Images

Princeton's Katie Rigler has led the team since her first season in 2011. As a sophomore in 2012, she scored a team-leading 76 goals, recorded 37 steals, 30 ejections drawn, 13 assists and three blocks. Rigler has 132 goals for her career and 84 blocks. She was named to the All-Tournament Second Team after scoring two or more goals during each match in the NCAA tournament.